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Rollins helps Phillies beat Rockies 4-3

Jul 26, 2010 - 12:37 AM PHILADELPHIA(AP) -- The errant pitch bounced one way and Colorado Rockies catcher Miguel Olivo looked in the other direction. In that instant, Jimmy Rollins knew he would score.

The Phillies speedy leadoff hitter easily streaked home on a wild pitch, scoring the go-ahead run in Philadelphia's come-from-behind, 4-3 win over Colorado on Sunday. Rollins also singled in the tying run during the seventh-inning rally.

The teams waited through a rain delay of 1 hour, 39 minutes after the sixth inning. When play resumed, the Phillies rallied.

Pinch-hitter Wilson Valdez started it with a double to right, snapping an 0-for-15 slump. Rollins followed with an RBI single off Joe Beimel (1-1), and advanced to second on an error by left fielder Ryan Spilborghs.

Two outs later, reliever Rafael Betancourt threw a pitch that bounced away from Olivo, and the catcher turned the wrong way. Rollins, who had stolen third, scored without a play.

"He was very alert," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of Rollins. "In his mind, he was ready to come in on a bobble or wild pitch. He got down the line fast. Those are the things you take advantage of. It was a break for us."

Not for the Rockies, who have lost five in a row. They stranded 12 runners.

"When you let that many opportunities get away against a ballclub like that, you're asking for it," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "It's kind of typical of the way we played on this road trip."

Ryan Madson (3-1) worked out of a bases-loaded, one out jam in the top of the seventh to earn the win.

The Rockies threatened against closer Brad Lidge in the ninth, loading the bases with two outs on two walks and a single. Lidge needed 30 pitches to escape, ending the game with a perfect slider for a called third strike against Ian Stewart.

"My whole career, people have been telling me I'm going to give them a heart attack," said Lidge, who recorded his ninth save in 12 chances. "That's just my style sometimes. For me right now, I'm feeling confident that whatever is going on around me, it will end well. That's the feeling you get when mentally, you're feeling good about what you're doing."

Before the rain, J.A. Happ was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley after missing more than three months with a strained left elbow. He allowed three runs on four hits and four walks.

"His stuff was there," Manuel said. "I just thought he was wild up and he had trouble keeping the ball down. When he's low in the zone, that's when he's at his best. He looked healthy. His ball was sneaky. He just needs some more work."

"I know I can be better, but I felt good about how I pitched," Happ said.

Happ also felt good about returning to the major leagues, though he felt it should've come sooner. Last season's runner-up in voting for the National League Rookie of the Year balloting had completed a rehab stint July 6, but the Phillies optioned him to Lehigh Valley because they felt he wasn't ready.

"I pitched a little bit angry, but that's not necessarily a bad thing," he said. "I feel like I belong here, but you have to prove that every day."

Ben Francisco erased Philadelphia's early deficit with a two-run home run for Philadelphia, which has taken the first three games of the series, and are 16-5 against Colorado in the past 21 regular-season games.

NOTES: Ryan Howard singled in the fourth inning, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. ... NBA Hall of Famer and former Philadelphia 76ers great Charles Barkley visited the Phillies in the clubhouse before Sunday's game. ... Raul Ibanez is batting .375 since the All-Star Break.